Death toll from Nepal-Tibet flood passes 470 as barrier lake threatens

The death toll from the flash flood that devastated Nepal and the Tibet region has risen past 470, as rescue efforts continue on both sides of the Himalayan border.Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office reported on Friday that 469 people had been confirmed killed and that 977 remain missing. At least three people were killed in Tibet and 558 remain missing, according to Chinese authorities.In Nepal, 644 of the missing are foreigners, the authorities report. Around 1,550 people have been rescued.The disaster struck on Wednesday, when a glacier collapse sent a surge of ice, rock and mud down Himalayan river valleys, burying entire villages and destroying roads, bridges and hydropower plants.Bishal Nath Upreti, president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, told Al Jazeera that the situation was “extremely difficult” for those stranded in the disaster zone, with no road to access them.“Almost 42km [26 miles} of road is completely wiped out, and, except the helicopters, the rescuers cannot go there”, he said.About 800 people have been rescued by helicopter and some 700 by land, he said. Aid to survivors is being airlifted to them.“They are very desperate now,” he said of those strande...